Pickerington Central linebacker Chris Forte curls dumbbells during a recent workout at the high school. Weight rooms are a staple of successful football programs. E-G photo by Anthony De Young

Written by

JOE ARNOLD

Sports Writer

LANCASTER - Deep down, away from the glare of the stadium lights and the cheers of the fans, Mike Burkhardt had to have been smiling. The Fisher Catholic coach watched as his Irish systematically dismantled previously undefeated Columbus Academy 35-6 last week, dishing out as many hard hits as the fourth-year head coach had ever seen.

"I was absolutely shocked at how much more physical we were than Columbus Academy," Burkhardt said. "I noticed it early on. Our kids were running and hitting and just going."

While adrenaline no doubt played a role in the dominating win, Fisher Catholic's ability to get stronger as its opponent withered made the difference.

And it's no different at any other successful program. Success on the field has it roots in a room far removed from the hashmarks and end zones - the weight room.

"How you play in the fourth quarter, that's dictated by how much time you're spending in the weight room," Fairfield Union coach Tom McCurdy said. "Are you tiring out or getting stronger? Are runners breaking off runs? Are tacklers bouncing off? Are you sustaining your blocks?

"A lot of that goes back to the weight room."

Just how much and how often schools spend lifting is as different as their mascots.

At Lancaster, Gales players utilize a weight-lifting class created, implemented and taught by head coach Rob Carpenter. About 60 percent of Lancaster football players utilize the class, which ensures multi-sport athletes time in the weight room year-round.

"It helps us out a lot," Lancaster senior guard John Flowers said. "When we get done up there, we come down to practice and the coaches can get right down to coaching. It goes back to the whole team thing. We're taking it upon ourselves to do the lifting. It's more of a responsibility for us to keep ourselves in shape."

Amanda-Clearcreek players are afforded a similar opportunity in the form of a class taught by assistant coach Jeff Arndt. Unlike other schools, however, the emphasis on increasing strength during the season isn't an issue for the Aces.

"Our strength is built in the offseason," Amanda-Clearcreek coach Ron Hinton said. "Once we get in season, we're not big on improving our strength. We'd like to maintain and develop it. We're gonna make our big push in January through June."

Typical in-season lifting routines consist of two days of hard lifting, usually Mondays and Saturdays. Lifts, like those offered through the curriculum at Lancaster and Amanda-Clearcreek, are supplemental.

Bloom-Carroll's Matt Kraft took full advantage of the Bulldogs' strength program last offseason. A quarterback-turned-receiver, Kraft dedicated himself to the weight room and improved his vertical leap by seven inches during the offseason. The added muscle mass made his transition from cornerback to linebacker this season an easier one.

"Last year I got pushed around a lot," he said. "This year, the other kids we're playing against are stronger, but I'm not getting pushed around as much."

Timing, like everything else in football, is everything. Strength and conditioning coaches often split their time between lifting and the wear and tear associated with playing a 10-game schedule.

"You don't want too much muscle breakdown because you won't be back up in time for Friday's game," Pickerington Central coach Jay Sharrett said. "You want to make sure your legs and shoulders are fresh for the game."

If anyone knows the difference a dedicated weight-lifting program can make, it's McCurdy and Burkhardt. Both coaches spent time at schools whose lifting programs either were non-existent or in their infancies.

McCurdy began the Hilliard Darby football program, and for the next five years tried to lay the foundation of strength.

"The strength level wasn't where it needed to be in order for us to be competitive with the people we played," he said. "We didn't have any seniors and had trouble matching up with teams. It took a toll on us. We had a lot of guys banged up."

Said Burkhardt, who began his head coaching career at Millersport: "I realized in season that weight lifting needed a bigger emphasis than I was placing on it."

Along with the physically dominating performances like the ones put on by Fisher Catholic, Lancaster and Pickerington Central last week, injuries remain one of the tell-tale signs of a weight lifting program's effectiveness.

"If you're strong, there's less of a chance of injury," McCurdy said. "You're still gonna have some injuries. At the end of the season, we evaluate what types of injuries we had. If we had a bunch of pulls and tears, then we've got to do a better job lifting and stretching."

While coaches possess the foresight to see injury trends as a sign of their overall strength, players are less apt to take in the overall picture. Instead, they focus on the two yards directly ahead of them on a Friday or Saturday night.

"You can see your weight program working on the field," Flowers said. "You notice them getting physically tired, and that's a good feeling, knowing they're tired and you're not."